Following nine years at Montreat College, Jason Lewkowicz resigned from his position as Senior Associate Director of Athletics and Director of Cross Country and Track & Field, announcing his retirement from coaching earlier this week. He will remain on staff through the end of June.
Hired in 2015, Lewkowicz made a tremendous impact on the cross country and track & field programs at Montreat. After the men’s cross country team won the 2018 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Championships, Lewkowicz captured the AAC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year award. That season, he was also named the USTFCCCA Men’s Cross Country South Region Coach of the Year. More recently, Lewkowicz garnered additional conference accolades, including the 2022-23 AAC Co-Coach of Character honor.
“It has been an honor, privilege and joy to lead the cross country and track & field programs at Montreat College the past nine years. I am filled with gratitude to everyone who has been a part of this amazing journey and owe a huge thanks to President Maurer, our administration, Vice President Jose Larios and Athletic Director Garrett Jones for believing and investing in our program,” stated Lewkowicz.
During his tenure, the Cavaliers amassed seven team championships in the sports of cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field. The Montreat coaching staff accumulated nine AAC Staff of the Year awards over the same period. Lewkowicz oversaw around 400 all-conference performances, 72 conference champions, 45 NAIA All-Americans, two USTFCCCA NAIA South Region Athletes of the Year and one national champion across the six sports.
Team success and growth has been highlighted by program history in recent years under Lewkowicz. Both cross country teams have recorded their best finishes at the NAIA Championships, with the men concluding 10th this past year and the women ending 11th during 2020-21. In the USTFCCCA NAIA Track & Field Rating Index, the men’s team reached as high as No. 3 in 2021 and the women climbed to ninth in 2023. As a squad, the Montreat men’s track & field team registered the highest team result of any of the programs with a sixth-place effort in 2022. That year, the men also notched a program-best fifth-place result in the USTFCCCA NAIA Jack Hazen Program of the Year standings.
“We want to express our most sincere appreciation for Coach Lewkowicz’s service to our campus community, specifically for the investment in leading our track and cross country teams with excellence and humility,” noted Vice President of Enrollment Management and Athletics Jose Larios. “I’ve known Jason for over 15 years, and in that time he has always led with the intent of reflecting the love of Jesus while building championship programs. We are excited for his professional transition and what it means for the increased time with his family. I’m thrilled to know he will remain in the area and continue to support Cavalier athletics for years to come,” added Larios.
Not only have Lewkowicz’s athletes succeeded athletically, but they have also collected numerous other achievements. In 2017-18, the Montreat men’s cross country team tallied the NAIA’s Buffalo Funds Five-Star Champions of Character Team award. The Cavaliers racked up a plethora of USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors, USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete distinctions, AAC All-Academic Team awards, Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors and CSC Academic All-District® selections under Coach Lewkowicz. Two Cavs landed on CSC Academic All-America® teams and one earned the Colonel John Sullivan AAC Female Champion of Character award for the 2022-23 school year.
“Since day one, it has been our aim to be a team that was centered around the pursuit of excellence, joy and a desire to honor Jesus with the gifts and opportunities He provided for us. There have been many amazing current and former student-athletes who have meant so much to me and my family, as well as coaches who have challenged and encouraged me during my time here. Montreat College is truly a special place and I know that the future is bright for the Cavs,” Lewkowicz mentioned.